A total of 139 vegetable oils and 48 frying oils produced in China were tested for the levels of 15 Environmental Protection Agency-regulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The analysis was completed by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were ranged between 0.2–0.3 and 0.6–1 μg/kg, respectively. The average recovery was 58.6–90.6%. The highest mean of total PAHs was found in peanut oil (3.31 μg/kg), while the lowest content was found in olive oil (0.39 μg/kg). In brief, 32.4% of vegetable oils exceeded the European Union maximum levels in China. The detected level of total PAHs in vegetable oils was lower than the frying oils. The mean dietary exposure to PAH15 ranged from 0.197 to 2.051 ng BaPeq/kg bw/day. The margin of exposure values was greater than 10,000, and the cumulative probabilities of the incremental lifetime cancer risk of different age groups were less than the priority risk level (10⁻⁴). Therefore, there was no potential health concern for specific populations.

This is the first report on the content of furfural and its derivatives in coffee products in China. The concentrations of furfural and its derivatives in 449 sampled, commercially available coffee products in China were analyzed through a GC-MS technique, and the associated health risks were estimated. As a result, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) was identified as the predominant derivative compound, with the highest concentration of 6035.0 mg/kg and detection frequency of 98.7%. The mean dietary exposures of 5-HMF, 5-MF(5-methylfurfural), and 2-F(2-furfural) in coffee products among Chinese consumers were 55.65, 3.00, and 3.23 μg/kg bw/day, respectively. The ranges of mean dietary intake of furfural and its derivatives based on age groups were all lower than the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and the toxicological concern threshold (TTC). Risk evaluation results indicate that coffee product intake did not pose potential risks to consumers. Notably, the analysis revealed that children aged 3–6 years had the highest mean exposure due to their low body weight.

The presence of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters and 2-MCPD esters in infant formulas have raised a number of food safety concerns. Here, a dietary exposure assessment was conducted for 3-and 2-MCPD esters in infant formulas available for consumption in Chinese infant and toddlers aged 0–3 years old. This work presents the occurrence data for 3-and 2-MCPD ester in 874 infant formulas purchased in China between 2015 and 2017. The concentrations of 3-MCPD esters ranged from ND to 1.469 mg/kg, with concentrations of 2-MCPD esters ranging from ND to 0.218 mg/kg. The LODs of 3-and 2-MCPD esters were 0.027–0.074 mg/kg. The mean exposures of infants and toddlers to 3-MCPD esters from formulas were lower than the tolerable daily intake (TDI, 2 μg/kg bw/day, established by EFSA), while high exposures (95th percentile) to 3-MCPD esters ranged from 0.907 to 2.520 μg/kg bw/day. On the whole, the health risk of Chinese infant and toddlers exposed to 3-MCPD esters was low, but the health risk of some infants aged 0–6 months with high formula consumption (95th percentile) raises some concern. Graphical abstract

Dietary intake is the major route of human exposure to fat-soluble and persistent chlorinated paraffins (CPs), which tend to accumulate in lipid-rich foods such as edible vegetable oils. This study investigated the levels of short-chain (SCCPs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) in commercially available vegetable oils and assessed their potential health risks. The concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs in 29 commercial edible vegetable oils were analyzed using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry (GC × GC-ECNI-MS). Dietary exposure levels were estimated through probabilistic assessment integrating analytical results with dietary consumption data from the Chinese Total Diet Study (2017–2020). The margin of exposure (MOE) approach was employed for risk characterization. The average concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs were 112 ng/g and 139 ng/g, respectively. The highest SCCP and MCCP concentration were found in sesame oil and peanut oil, respectively. Overall, MCCPs levels were generally higher than SCCPs. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of SCCPs and MCCPs were 56.06 and 73.63 ng/kg bw/d on average, with high consumers (P95) exposed to 180.91 and 230.49 ng/kg bw/d, respectively. Corresponding MOE at P95 were 1.27 × 10⁴ for SCCPs and 1.56 × 10⁵ for MCCPs. The current SCCPs and MCCPs dietary intake originated from edible vegetable oils did not pose a significant health risk. This study provides the first probabilistic exposure assessment of CPs in Chinese edible vegetable oils, offering current contamination profiles.